(ET) This Uxbridge farmer is ditching diesel for a solar-powered tractor | The Star

[Darryl McMahon <darryl econogics com>]

https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/12/28/this-uxbridge-farmer-is-ditching-diesel-for-a-solar-powered-tractor.html

[Good to see Steve Heckeroth is still building electric tractors. 
Anybody on the list got a Solectrac?

links and images in online article]

This Uxbridge farmer is ditching diesel for a solar-powered tractor

By Marco Chown OvedInvestigative Reporter

Fri., Dec. 28, 2018

Small-scale organic farming conjures bucolic images of days spent under 
blue skies doing honest work and living close to the land.

All that, says Uxbridge farmer Tony Neale, is true.

But it’s hard to enjoy nature when you’re riding on the back of a clunky 
diesel tractor whose engine can be deafening and exhaust can be noxious.

“It’s just as loud as you’d think,” Neale said. “You can’t hear 
anything. You have to wear ear plugs. And even then you’re still 
breathing diesel fumes all day.”

Surely, Neale thought, in the 21st century there’s got to be a better 
way. If there are electric cars on our streets, someone must be making 
electric tractors for our fields.

After a bit of internet searching, Neale was able to find examples of 
farmers who had stripped down old tractors, added electric motors and 
batteries.

But one engineer in California had taken his tinkering to the next level 
and produced the world’s first purpose-built electric tractor prototype 
— and Neale knew instantly he wanted one.

After making contact with Steve Heckeroth, who received a grant from the 
U.S. National Science Foundation to commercialize the production of 
electric tractors, Neale flew down to help assemble one of the 10 
Solectrac prototypes produced in 2018.

The tractor went through a month of rigorous field testing before being 
shipped to Ontario in August, giving Neale enough time to set the second 
part of his plan into motion.

By borrowing money from his customers who supported his move to 
low-carbon farming, Neale was able to install 10kW of solar panels on 
his farm, enough to charge his tractor in four to five hours.

When the tractor isn’t charging, the electricity flows straight into the 
grid, Neale said, providing him with extra income.

“It’s beyond proof of concept. We’re past that. This is proof of 
commercial viability,” said Neale, who believes his tractor is the first 
purpose-built solar tractor in Canada.

“It’s not just a dream that one day you’ll be able to farm without 
fossil fuels. It’s real. It’s here.”

On a recent snowy day, Neale pulled the tractor out of its parking spot 
in an insulated shipping container and shifted into gear.

The electric motor is nearly silent as the tractor’s massive wheels 
squeak through the freshly fallen snow. Neale parks in front of his 
solar array and opens up the hood. There’s no radiator, no oil. Just a 
small computer that manages battery use.

He invites a reporter to take a spin and shows off the cruise control 
that sets a constant speed through the fields that can be slow enough to 
sew seed by hand out the back.

“I wanted to invest in this technology for environmental reasons. But 
using it, I was blown away by the experience of driving,” Neale said.

“It’s silent. There’s no exhaust. You can hear the birds and talk to 
people working in the fields. You can feel the wind on your face and 
smell the fresh country air.”

The tractors — which have the equivalent power of a 40 horsepower diesel 
engine — run for five to eight hours on a single charge and will 
eventually retail for around $40,000 (U.S.), which Neale says is a 
similar price tag to a new diesel tractor.

“But the operation is 10 times cheaper,” he said. “There are no fuel 
costs and little to no maintenance.”

The electric motors only have one moving part, unlike diesels, which 
have over 300, says Heckeroth.

Neale has been running Wheelbarrow Farm since 2008, selling much of his 
organic produce at farmers markets around the GTA.

He knows his customers appreciate the fact that he is both local and 
organic. Now, he’s got an additional feature: Low carbon.

He’s hoping other farmers will be inspired by his solar tractor and 
follow suit. Not only for the marketing potential, but because it’s a 
better way to farm.

Organic farming can be seen as a throwback, using ancient methods of 
crop rotation and permaculture. But it can also be the future: allowing 
farmers to avoid pesticides and herbicides and keep shipping distances 
to a minimum.

“We have the most ancient tools and the most futuristic technology,” he 
said. “We still use the wheelbarrow every day.”

--
Darryl McMahon
Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems)